Reconciliation
by ZachaRicO
Summary: Ash is feeling a little down in the dumps after the Lily of the Valley Conference. Dawn tries to cheer him up, and the two attempt to reconcile their past. But in the end, one nagging question remains unanswered: Where did Tobias get that Darkrai? But maybe it's better that way. Slight Pearlshipping. Rated T for thematic content.
1. Chapter 1

Ash sat by the small lake and watched the sun slowly set. It still hadn't touched the horizon, but it was getting close. The orange light cast a golden glow over the water, erasing its blue color. The rest of the surrounding forest also absorbed the light, though it retained its green hue.

With a sigh, Ash hugged his knees closer to his chest. His mind drifted to his Pokemon, who were resting at the Pokemon Center after their fierce battles in the Lily of the Valley Conference. He thought of what happened when he came to them earlier and how they all looked.

" _You guys have nothing to be ashamed of,"_ he said. " _Together, we did what no other trainer could do. We beat a Pokemon that no one else could beat! Heck, if we didn't end up battling Tobias, we probably would have won this year. But you know what? It doesn't matter in the long run. What's more important is the bond we all share: a bond that brought us into the Top 4. We might have lost, but to me, you're all winners, and I'm so proud of you all it's not even funny."_

He couldn't help but laugh when he recalled the massive group hug that came next. If a bystander had seen it, he probably would have called the police. It looked more like a bunch of savage Pokemon mauling a trainer. It was only because his friends intervened that he managed to survive.

 _So if I'm not upset about the loss_ he wondered as his demeanor fell again, _why am I sitting out here, depressed?_ He looked up at the sun, which was now part-way below the horizon. _And Tobias...I still can't help but wonder…_

"Ash?"

He jumped slightly when he heard the voice. Turning, he saw it was just his friend. "Yikes! You scared me."

"Sorry," the bluenette replied, walking up and standing over him. "Brock just sent me to tell you that dinner's ready."

"Oh," Ash said, looking down a moment. "Okay. Tell him I'll be there in a minute."

The bluenette raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "In a minute? You never hold off for dinner." When he didn't respond, she sat down next to him. "Are you still upset over your loss today?"

"No," he shook his head. "I was never upset, Dawn."

"Not before, but you certainly look like it now," Dawn said. "What's up?"

He sighed. "It's just...I was so close...and then _he_ had to be in the competition..."

"Yeah, and throwing a grudge at him is gonna make everything better, right?"

Ash shook his head. "No, I'm not holding a grudge. He won fair and square. I just think that if it wasn't for him, I would've won this year, that's all."

"Probably," she agreed. "Well, there's no point in brooding over it like this. What's done is done."

"Yeah," Ash said, his tone changing to something slightly darker as he unwrapped himself. "I know that all too well."

Dawn cringed. "Are you gonna bring that up again?"

"What if I do?" he said. "You said it didn't bother you. If anything, you'll probably just rub it in."

"Ash, please don't be like that," she pleaded. "I was scared. I didn't mean any of it."

"You sounded pretty convincing to me."

"Well, that wasn't an accident," she insisted. "Like I said, I was scared. I thought my friend was only using me to gratify some selfish, perverted desire...just like my dad…" She trailed off, and her eyes started to glimmer. "Later, I realized that it was all a misunderstanding. I said I was sorry, and I'll say it again...I'm sorry."

Ash shook his head. "You don't have to be sorry, Dawn." He turned away, his eyes now an auburn hue. "You had every right to react the way you did. I didn't know what I was doing. It's probably the stupidest thing I've ever done."

Dawn raised an eyebrow at him. "Stupider than trying to catch a Pidgey with a shirt? Or throwing a Pokeball at a Pokemon before weakening it? Or –"

"Yes," Ash insisted, raising his voice slightly. "I was younger and dumber back then, so that was excusable." His face fell again. "But what I did...I had this nagging feeling that it was wrong...and I chose to ignore it. Now nothing will ever be the same."

Dawn looked at him with compassion in her glimmering eyes. He stood up, eyes still shaded by his hat. "Well, we should probably go eat before the food gets cold, right?" He started to walk away, but a hand gripped his vest. He turned around.

"Wait," Dawn said. "Please. I know you're not comfortable with this and that you'll probably never get over it...but I know you didn't really mean any harm." Ash didn't respond, his eyes still shaded by his hat. "Ash, please look at me." He didn't respond. She gently placed her hand on his chin and pushed his face up so that she could see his eyes again.

There was a small tear in one of them. She smiled softly, wiped it away with her thumb, then leaned up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Confused, Ash brought his hand up to where she kissed him.

"I forgive you," she whispered.

"Huh?"

She giggled slightly. "I said I forgive you."

Ash blinked, then turned away, his eyes shaded once again. Dawn's face fell, seeing her attempt at reconciliation failed. Then it brightened up again when she got another idea. She tapped Ash on the shoulder. She turned around and saw her arm held up high.

"Nice to see you, too," he smiled slightly, then turned away, only to get tapped on the shoulder again.

"You gonna leave me hanging?" she asked.

Ash's eyes widened when he realized what she meant. He turned back to her, eyes visible, and looked at her hand. With a soft smile, he raised his own arm and softly clapped his hand on Dawn's. Then their arms lowered as they looked deep into each other's eyes.

"Thanks, Dawn," he smiled. She grinned and rammed right into him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace while she laid her head on his chest. Ash reciprocated the gesture, gently placing his arms around her while resting his face over her hair. He took in the smell of her perfume and felt calmer now than he had been for a long time.

"Well, then," Dawn smiled when they separated. "Why don't we go get something to eat?" She turned and skipped along back the way she came. She stopped a moment and turned to see Ash looking at the lake. Raising an eyebrow, she walked back. "Ash?"

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing," he shrugged it off. "I was just wondering…"

Dawn cocked her head. "Wondering what?"

Ash looked at the sun, now three-quarters of the way gone. "Where did Tobias get that Darkrai?"

* * *

 **A very good question...and one that is answered in the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

The doors to his office slammed open as a furious voice shouted his name, storming in. Remaining calm as ever, he slowing turned in his chair and faced his companion.

"Ah, Tobias," he smiled cordially. "I see you've returned...trophy in hand, I presume?"

"You know why I'm here," Tobias said, eyes narrowed and teeth clenched. "You saw the battles, did you not?"

"I don't care for the conferences," the man replied, cool as ever. "My concern is with powerful Pokemon. When a winner is crowned, that's when I take notice. Word on the street is that you were the winner."

"Yes, I was," Tobias growled, still angry. "But you still broke our deal."

"I never break deals."

"DON'T YOU PLAY GAMES WITH ME, GIOVANNI!" Tobias roared, pounding the man's desk and getting in his face. "You promised me you would get me the most powerful Pokemon ever!"

"Was Darkrai insufficient?" Giovanni asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you win because of him?"

"Yes, but –"

"Then there you go."

"But he was defeated!"

Giovanni's eyes widened. "Defeated?" He sounded surprised, but he maintained his cool. "By whom?"

"An amateur-nobody, that's who! You told me this Pokemon was invincible! That was the deal!"

Giovanni shook his head. "The deal, as I recall, was that I would get you a Pokemon that could not be defeated by any standard trainer or gym leader," he said as he pulled out a document and handed it to Tobias. The dark champion read it, then, with an angry huff, handed it back.

"Darkrai fell to an amateur's Sceptile. No one else could bring him down. How did this nobody accomplish what eight gym leaders couldn't?!"

"It's not that complicated, really," Giovanni replied. "That Ketchum kid is quite a riot. I've never seen anything like him."

Tobias was about to retort, but he stopped short when he realized what the crime boss just said. "Wait...how did you know it was Ketchum?!"

"Lucky guess," he chuckled sinisterly. "I've heard much of this kid's prowess, and he is hardly a nobody. When I set out to procure a powerful Pokemon for you, I did so with the idea that if anyone could defeat it, he could. I didn't expect you to run into him at the conference. Had I known he would be there, I would have warned you."

Tobias' face was stoic. "So you knew this Ketchum kid could defeat Darkrai...but you didn't think I would encounter him."

"Correct."

Tobias nodded, then held out his Pokeball. "Here," he said. "I don't want a weak Pokemon."

"Pardon me, but the terms of the deal have not expired," Giovanni replied. "Darkrai is your Pokemon now. I cannot take care of him."

Tobias growled and took the ball back. "Very well, then. I will look elsewhere for a Pokemon that cannot be defeated." With that, he turned and walked away. The doors slammed shut behind him, leaving Giovanni in darkness.

"An invincible Pokemon," he mused. "Somehow, that sounds familiar, as though I've encountered it before. But that's rubbish. No one is unbeatable. Nothing is invincible."

"So sure, are you?"

He started on hearing the sudden voice. "What?! Who –?!"

"Invincible? Unbeatable? Oh, I'm sure there's something in this world that falls under those categories."

He clenched his teeth when he realized who it was. " _Doctor_ ," he growled. "How did you get here?"

"It wasn't that hard," the portly man revealed himself. "Your security is incompetent. Jack couldn't even lift a finger against me."

"You must mean Butch," he grumbled.

"Whatever. Anyways, allow me to explain why I am here. I hear you have a secret weapon that's been shut down for fifty years."

"Rubbish," he replied. "I have nothing of the kind."

"My research indicates otherwise," the doctor insisted. "One of your facilities holds this ultimate weapon under the highest security. Which facility is it?"

"None," he snapped. "I monitor all our facilities over the world, and I know nothing of an ultimate weapon."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he said clenching his fist. Then he thought it over. "Well, there is one facility that I haven't visited in years."

"Really?"

"Yes. It was destroyed long ago, but I believe it's been rebuilt. It may hold the answers you're looking for."

The doctor grinned. "And where is it?"

Giovanni glared at him. "Why should I tell you? What can you give me in return?"

The doctor pulled out a document. "This is my research on the weapon. I spent the past few months compiling it, and I can say for certain that the information is relevant to you. Disclose the location of this neglected facility to me, and the information is all yours."

Giovanni looked at the document. "Why should I trust you?"

"Same reason I should trust you," the doctor replied. "Oh, wait...there isn't a reason!"

Giovanni clenched his fist. "Very well. The facility is on New Island, not far out from Kanto."

"That's better," the doctor nodded. "And with that, here's your information." He handed the document to him and made his retreat. Giovanni looked at the front cover.

Then his face grew pale. "No," he whispered, fear in his eyes. "It can't be! This is what he wants?!" He shot up from his chair and frantically began dialing on a phone, trying in vain to contact the New Island facility. "Come on, come on!" he growled loudly, the paper all but forgotten as it lay there on his desk, front page up with two words printed on the front:

 _PROJECT SHADOW_

* * *

 **BOOM! Heheheh...I love throwing in those curveballs that take an otherwise isolated piece and connect it to one of my major projects.**

 **Anyways, if you're wondering about "The Legend of Zelda: The Sonic Boom," I've been very busy with school, so I haven't had time to update it. Sorry about that. If I can stay on top of my game, then you'll probably see some updates in the near future. If not, well then...**

 **No. I am going to get on top of my game. You guys deserve a good story.**

 **Was this a good story? It's not my greatest work, but I think it's decent enough to warrant a positive rating. Feel free to rate and review, but no flames please!**


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